Biomimetic-Hormone Replacement Therapy

There probably isn’t a man, woman or child that does not know that smoking is not good for you.  It is now believed by the scientific world that smoking can cause early onset menopause as well as all the other health problems and diseases.  Not only that, smoking causes a host of symptoms which make menopause a more difficult time for some women in that it increase the occurrence of hot flashes.  There isn’t a single benefit to be gained from smoking and if you are still smoking at perimenopause or menopause, the wisest choice would be to quit now.  Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is not going to work as well and higher doses are required.

Not only that, doctors have found that if you are smoking and using bio-identical hormones, it is necessary that the doctor prescribe a higher dose of natural bioidentical estrogen to combat the symptom of hot flashes.  The risk of variety of cancers and heart diseases such as stroke increases dramatically is you are smoking during menopause.
A study conducted by  Sun Lu, et al., concluded that “Meta-analysis suggests that smoking is associated with an increased risk of early natural menopause”, (Menopause, 19 September 2011) Smoking has been found in the Meta-analysis study found that the onset of menopause in smokers was much earlier when compared to non-smokers.

Therefore, not only do you have the worry of heart disease and cancer, there is also the concerns of the dangers of early menopause.  There is also the issue smoking and using natural bio-identical hormone therapy in that more bio-identical estrogen is required to achieve the same results of combating the symptoms of menopause and continuing to smoke.  The best advice is to quit now.

Tags: early onset menopause, Perimenopause, smoking during menopause

Once you have decided that you want to improve your life, your health, end your symptoms of menopause and all that goes with this difficult time in life, you must first find a doctor that can prescribe bio-identical hormones. Perhaps your own doctor does, in fact, prescribe bioidentical hormones – natural bioidentical estradiol, estriol and progesterone. The easiest way to find out is to ask and to tell him or her that you want to treat your menopause with natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and that you would like a hormone test.

This baseline hormone level test will either be a blood test or a saline test. Hormone test will measure the level of estrogen, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, thyroid hormone levels. The test will take about five business days when your doctor will receive the results. Your doctor will give you a prescription that you can take to a compounding pharmacy. If your doctor specializes in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, he or she may be able to recommend a good compounding pharmacy in your neighbourhood. A compounding pharmacy will make up your individual prescription which is formulated to your own needs to only replacement the hormones which have decreased in your body. The aim of natural bioidentical HRT is to replace only the hormones your body needs replenishing.

Natural bioidentical hormones are made into creams which come in either a jar or a syringe (the dose appears smaller but is more concentrated and is less messy than using the spoon and the jar) or they are available in what is known as a troche – a lozenge or as pellet (pellet therapy). Creams in a jar or a syringe are the best way to administer bio-identical HRT, but some people do not absorb the cream through the skin so the doctor prescribes troches.

Natural bioidentical estrogen preparations are usually made up of two of the three estrogens – including estradiol and estriol (the weaker estrogen).

Your estrogen preparation will be taken twice a day, at the same time everyday to mimic the body’s supply of estrogen. Progesterone will be taken for 14 days, from day 14 to day 28. After you stop the progesterone on day 28, you will get a period.

A doctor will then want to know how you are feeling after you have taken natural bio-identical hormones for a couple of months. Be sure to tell him or her of any symptoms you may be experiencing and they will adjust your dosage accordingly.

Relief from menopause symptoms will come after a few days to a few weeks of using the bioidentical hormones. Also remember that you must not only use natural bio-identical HRT, but you must also make some big lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, nutritional supplementation, stress reduction, quitting smoking to enjoy the best health in your menopausal years and beyond.

Tags: Bioidentical Hormones, Estradiol, Estriol, Estrogen, hormone tests, Progesterone